Catheters are thin flexible tubes which are introduced into a vein or artery and guided to selected sites in the vascular system. Angiographic catheters are employed to inject contrast media into a vessel to visualize the shape, state, topography, functionality and other characteristics of the vessel for the purpose of diagnosing anatomic abnormalities of an organ and its conduits. Such catheters are used, for instance, to diagnose diseases of the heart and the circulatory system.
The guidance of a catheter within a tortuous vessel structure, such as a coronary artery and the arteries supplying the brain, often present difficult challenges. Efficient guidance of the distal portion of the catheter may be achieved by various means, including the use of a guide wire (essentially a long, slim and flexible wire or coil on which the catheter's lumen rides or slides to the desired location) or a specially designed catheter tip.
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Without limiting the scope of the invention, a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
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